Radiation Oncology

The rapid intravenous injection of a contrast agent is a major advancement over conventional manual delivery and enhances the diagnostic quality of simulation scans, which are the anchor of radiation planning. 

This advanced imaging method makes CT scans more precise than ever before. 4D CT uses a new technology that captures the location and movement of a tumor. The information from the 4D CT scan allows the radiation therapy team to design more precise treatments for tumors in locations where they tend to move during treatment. This reduces the risk of treatment-related side effects and allows for the use of higher, more effective radiation levels while minimizing the impact on healthy tissue.

Gamma Knife® Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a noninvasive, same-day procedure to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors of the brain and skull base, as well as other neurological disorders, while preserving healthy brain tissue. An alternative to traditional “open” brain surgery or whole-brain radiation, Gamma Knife provides accurate, radiation treatment for single or multiple brain lesions and brain disorders — with no incision and little to no side effects.

How does Gamma Knife SRS work?

Gamma Knife SRS uses precisely targeted high-dose radiation beams to treat brain and skull base tumors, as well as other brain disorders including arteriovenous malformation, essential tremor and trigeminal neuralgia.

Treatment steps include:

• Fitting for a customized, lightweight head frame, if required. The head frame ensures that the radiation beams target the precise treatment area and help to keep the head still during the procedure.
• Hackensack Meridian Health also offers frameless Gamma Knife treatment - which does not require the use of a head frame - for select patients.
• Imaging using MRI or CT technology. Imaging scans determine the exact size, shape and position of the treatment area.
• Personalized treatment planning. Your physician will develop a treatment plan using a specially designed computer that calculates the best way to deliver the radiation treatment.
• Automated, painless treatment. The fully awake patient reclines on a moveable treatment table while the machine rotates to deliver radiation from various positions.
• Return to normal routines. Although some patients will need to stay overnight for observation, most can go home immediately and experience only minor side effects, if any.

What are the benefits of Gamma Knife?

The main benefit of Gamma Knife is that it can be a safer alternative to traditional “open” brain surgery or whole-brain radiation, which come with a higher risk of side effects or complications. Other benefits include:

• Noninvasive. No incisions are necessary, meaning that patients do not require general anesthesia and are not at risk of hemorrhage, infection, or other complications that can occur during open brain surgery.
• Enhanced efficiency. Unlike traditional radiation treatments, patients who receive Gamma Knife SRS typically require only one outpatient treatment. Exclusively used for treatment of the brain. Gamma Knife is the only SRS system specifically designed and optimized to treat brain lesions and disorders.
• Unparalleled accuracy. The Gamma Knife radiation beams conform to the shape of the lesion, delivering high-dose treatment with sub-millimeter accuracy.
• Fewer side effects. Gamma Knife’s precision spares healthy brain tissue from radiation exposure, reducing the risks of side effects. Many patients experience only mild side effects, or no side effects at all.

Commonly treated conditions include:

• Acoustic neuroma
• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Brain metastases
• Essential tremor
• Glioblastoma
• Meningioma
• Pituitary adenoma
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Vestibular schwannoma

Locations

JFK University Medical Center 65 James Street Edison, NJ 08820 732-321-7540

Hackensack University Medical Center 30 Prospect Avenue Hackensack, NJ 07601 551-996-2000

Radiation therapy with prone breast positioning is where the patient lies face down on a specially designed table for optimal patient positioning.  Radiation is then administered with the breast hanging away from the body. Utilizing the prone breast method decreases radiation exposure to healthy tissue and nearby vital organs, such as the heart and lungs. This therapy is beneficial for women with larger breasts. 

Hypofractionated radiation therapy allows eligible patients to receive a higher dose of radiation delivered over a shorter overall treatment course, reducing the number of weeks you need to come in for treatment.

Electron therapy is delivered through our linear accelerators, typically to lesions on the skin. Electrons are particles with a negative charge. Electron beams cannot travel very far through body tissues. Therefore, their use is limited to tumors on the skin or near the surface of the body.

TBI complements our Bone Marrow Transplantation service at John Theurer Cancer Center and improves the conditioning regimen over chemotherapy alone. Hackensack Meridian Health is a leader among only a few medical centers in New Jersey that offer this treatment.

SCINTIX biology-guided radiotherapy (BGRT) is a novel radiation therapy treatment option for patients with primary or metastatic lung or bone tumors. These tumors may arise from primary cancers or from metastatic lesion spread from other cancers in the body. This therapy is the first radiation treatment that uses tumor biology to precisely direct radiation to the tumor site in real-time, even when tumors are moving. This breakthrough approach also allows for single-session treatment of multiple tumors while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissue. 

The therapy is delivered using the state-of-the-art RefleXion® X1 machine, which is the first radiation therapy platform to combine positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging with a radiation therapy linear accelerator. This hybrid platform combines PET imaging, which is used to diagnose and stage cancer, with state-of-the-art radiation therapy treatment technology — advancing the treatment model for cancer care. 

How it Works

During the therapy, patients receive a single injection of a radiotracer, which creates real-time, detectable emissions from cancer cells. The system’s technology detects these cancer cell emissions and uses them to precisely track and direct radiation to the tumor, transforming cancer cells into biological beacons that direct radiotherapy delivery. 

Benefits

• Ability to precisely treat tumors, even if they are moving
• Combines two proven technologies used for cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Allows for the treatment of multiple tumors in a single session
• Effective for primary and metastatic bone and lung tumors
• Personalized control of radiation delivery
• Enhanced patient safety and convenience
• May reduce radiation exposure and toxicity to healthy tissues

Pluvicto radiation oncology treatment is a groundbreaking option offered at Hackensack Meridian Health.

Pluvicto is designed for patients dealing with prostate-specific membrane antigen-positive (PSMA+) metastatic prostate cancer, particularly when other treatment options have been exhausted.

How It Works

Pluvicto is an innovative targeted therapy that targets and eliminates PSMA+ cancer cells found throughout the body, including in the bones, lymph nodes, and visceral metastases. The therapy is administered through an injection, repeating every six weeks for up to six treatments during an outpatient procedure.

Benefits

Opting for Pluvicto treatment at Hackensack Meridian Health offers many advantages for patients:

• Patients gain access to the latest targeted treatment for metastatic prostate cancer right in their local community, making treatment more convenient.
• Pluvicto is an additional option when all other lines of therapy are exhausted Pluvicto is clinically proven to extend survival
• Unlike traditional chemotherapy, Pluvicto has fewer side effects, so patients experience better quality of life during treatment

Talk to your oncologist to see if you’re a candidate for Pluvicto.